No matter how we do it, we all can agree- crunches are boring! Flatter abs would be great, but we all hate crunches. We want washboard abs without doing so much to get them.
Make 2010 your year to have both—the abs you have always wanted and the easy moves to get them. There are so many ultra-effective tips and moves for a leaner stomach that you can swear off crunches forever, if you’d like, and still chisel your middle. Follow some enjoyable ways to shed inches from your waist and keep it off.
- Chill out! – We are all stressed! Well it is time to chill out!! Try delegating work duties, pursue a hobby you find relaxing, whether it’s jewelry making or knitting, and make laid-back lunch dates with buddies to lighten your mood—and slim your middle!
- Go bananas! – Help to limit belly-bloating sodium in your body by indulging in a fresh banana. The fruit contains 422 milligrams of potassium. If bananas are not for you, then have four stalks of celery which deliver 416 mg of potassium.
- Do bench presses – Make your ab muscles contract, toning your abs as well as your arms, by extending your arms during the pec-perking Exercise. As your usual routine, add two sets of 12 reps.
- Find your balance – Giving yourself a steady challenge is a great way to tighten and tone your core. Use a folded towel, a BOSU or a pair of balance pods to make it hard to find your footing for this move, called the Lunge-Up: With left foot on towel or pod, lower into lunge, knee over ankle, thigh parallel to ground, right knee bent with heel raised, hands on. As you straighten left leg, push off ball of right foot, bringing right thigh in front and parallel to ground, balancing on pod. Slowly return to start. Do 12 reps. Switch legs; repeat.
- Bend those knees – Add a tummy-toning balance challenge to traditional squats by doing them on one leg. This makes them more challenging. Do two sets of 12 reps on alternate days for abs that make waves.
- Do the ab-up – Want flat abs fast? Do a side plank, which focuses on your obliques. These muscles wrap around your middle and hold you in. Lie on right side, resting on right forearm and right hip, knees and feet stacked, left arm at side. Lift right hip into a side plank .Lower and touch left hip to ground, then lift back up, holding abs in tight, for one rep. Be sure to do 20 reps. Switch sides; repeat on your other side.
- Go on an abs spree – Rather than switching back and forth between various body parts, grouping all your ab exercises together can deliver better results. Working your abs to the “burning” point delivers a sizzling stomach.
- Feast on a little fat! – Help your midsection get svelte by adding a smidge of fat in your diet. Studies show that foods rich in monounsaturated fats—including olive oil, avocado, seeds, and nuts—can help prevent the accumulation of unwelcome tummy fat.
- Tone abs while you burn fat – Research show that heart-pumping activity triggers your body to convert abdominal fat to fuel. Be sure to aim for 30 minutes or more most days. Get more out of your treadmill or elliptical machines. On the treadmill, squeeze even more belly benefits from your stint by ramping up the incline. On the elliptical machine, relying on your core muscles to keep you upright on the elliptical (grip the handlebars, but don’t use them to support you!)
- Try the Dragonfly – With a weight in each hand, start on all fours. Extend your right leg behind you in line with body; extend left arm out to side at shoulder level. Keeping right leg lifted, curl weight toward chest. Straighten your arm for one rep and try to 12 reps. Switch sides; repeat.
- Try teamwork – Together everyone achieves more!! T.E.A.M.! Grab a friend. Toning up and slimming down doesn’t need to be done solo. Grab a pal for this exercise: Lie on the floor with your legs straight up in the air. Ask a buddy to command you to bring your legs up and down randomly every few seconds. For example, “Right leg down, left leg up” and “Both legs up”. Use your ab muscles to follow his/her directions, keeping your lower back pressed into the floor. Do this for three or four 20- to 60-second sets, resting 1 minute between each set. Then switch and you be the leader. These random commands trigger a rapid contraction of your muscles, tiring the more easily sculpted areas of your abs. This will allow you to see better results in less time.
There is no better time than the present. You will be on your way to looking and feeling better before you know it!
